Ravenstonedale DNA project

Ravenstonedale DNA project

More about Family Finder results

Unlike yDNA results, autosomal DNA results are displayed in the form of the names of other individuals in Family Tree DNA's database who share a significant amount of the same DNA as the person tested. The match lists include details of the total amount of DNA shared, the largest segment shared, and a prediction as to the probable relationship between the tester and the matching individual.

The matrix shown on the main RESULTS page shows the degree of matching between each member of our project and all the other project members. Because Family Tree DNA match lists only include people who are estimated to be up to 5th-6th cousins, I have uploaded everyone's results to gedmatch.com, where it is possible to adjust the level of matching to show more distant matches.

However, as the number of project members increases, this matrix is increasingly difficult to generate and view, so I would welcome any suggestions for alternative means of displaying connections between us all.

I hope the pages in this section will be helpful to anyone considering taking a Family Finder test as well as those who have already received their results.

An important point to remember, is that we are using Family Finder tests in our Ravenstonedale DNA Project in an experimental capacity ... as previously stated, autosomal DNA tests are really only expected to provide confirmation of genetic relationships between people who are connected within up to six or seven generations - that is, 4th or 5th cousins (i.e. with people who share your 3x or 4x great grandparents). The amount of DNA you inherit from each of your ancestors is roughly halved with every generation, but the actual segments inherited from each individual ancestor is completely random.

What else can you discover from your Family Finder results?

Links will become active as I add more pages to this section ... please contact me with requests for other topics.

The chart on the left (courtesy Dimario, Wikimedia Commons) shows the average amount of autosomal DNA inherited by all close relations up to the third cousin lvel. It appears on this page in the ISOGG Wiki which provides an excellent explanation of inheritance patterns of autosomal DNA, along with lots more regularly updated information about genetic genealogy.

In our project, we are comparing autosomal DNA belonging to members who all have a branch of their ancestry which originated in Ravenstonedale - but any connections between us may date back over 300 years! So any shared genetic ancestry we discover is likely to be the result of our common ancestry with a close community rather than identifiable individuals.

However, your autosomal DNA represents ALL branches of your ancestry - not just the branch that connects to Ravenstonedale! So anyone participating in the project is very likely to discover matches who connect to one or more branches of their individual family tree - so it is worth examining the closest matches on your match list for any shared surnames and locations, and make contact with most the likely looking matches to share information about your ancestry.